• Korean Journal of Radiology
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• v.22 no.12
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• pp.2052-2061
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• 2021

Objective: The role of preoperative overt hepatic encephalopathy (OHE) in the neurophysiological mechanism of cognitive improvement after liver transplantation (LT) remains elusive. This study aimed to explore changes in sub-regional thalamic functional connectivity (FC) after LT and their relationship with neuropsychological improvement using resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) data in cirrhotic patients with and without a history of OHE. Materials and Methods: A total of 51 cirrhotic patients, divided into the OHE group (n = 21) and no-OHE group (n = 30), and 30 healthy controls were enrolled in this prospective study. Each patient underwent rs-fMRI before and 1 month after LT. Using 16 bilateral thalamic subregions as seeds, we conducted a seed-to-voxel FC analysis to compare the thalamic FC alterations before and after LT between the OHE and no-OHE groups, as well as differences in FC between the two groups of cirrhotic patients and the control group. Correction for multiple comparisons was conducted using the false discovery rate (p < 0.05). Results: We found abnormally increased FC between the thalamic sub-region and prefrontal cortex, as well as an abnormally decreased FC between the bilateral thalamus in both OHE and no-OHE cirrhotic patients before LT, which returned to normal levels after LT. Compared with the no-OHE group, the OHE group exhibited more extensive abnormalities prior to LT, and the increased FC between the right thalamic subregions and right inferior parietal lobe was markedly reduced to normal levels after LT. Conclusion: The renormalization of FC in the cortico-thalamic loop might be a neuro-substrate for the recovery of cognitive function after LT in cirrhotic patients. In addition, hyperconnectivity between thalamic subregions and the inferior parietal lobe might be an important feature of OHE. Changes in FC in the thalamus might be used as potential biomarkers for recovery of cognitive function after LT in cirrhotic patients.

• Korean Journal of Cognitive Science
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.559-602
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• 2010

This study examines the concepts and functional characteristics of consciousness in comparison of memory and attention from the perspective of information processing. It also provides an understanding of the relationships between the three as hypothetical constructs. Consciousness is regarded as too ambiguous a concept to be understood and accepted as a mental construct without the inclusion of memory and attention in any conceptualization. We need one criterion to count satisfactorily as an explanation of consciousness in information processing. Consciousness would be a subjective awareness of momentary experience and also have the characteristic of an operating system performing control and consolidation in information processing. This could be called cognitive consciousness which refers to a subjective awareness and an executive control system, even though those are not equivalent concepts. Consciousness, memory and attention, three mental constructs could operate dependently or independently depending on the specific tasks conditioned in many information processing levels whose modules with three mental constructs could operate in hierarchy. In this premise, working memory could not be a unitary system, contrary to those of Baddeley and Hitch(1974) and Baddeley(1992, 2000), just being a mental workplace consisting of two components: the phonological loop, and the visual-spatial sketchpad without the episodic buffer and a central executive which are the characteristics of consciousness. In the continuum of information processing, the conscious processes and the unconscious processes seem not to be totally different and contrasting processes.

• Journal of the Korea Society of Computer and Information
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• v.27 no.11
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• pp.181-190
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• 2022

In this paper, we use a LiDAR sensor and an image camera to detect a left-turning waiting vehicle in two ways, unlike the existing image-type or loop-type left-turn detection system, and a left-turn traffic signal corresponding to the waiting length of the left-turning lane. A system that can efficiently assign a system is introduced. For the LiDAR signal transmitted and received by the LiDAR sensor, the left-turn waiting vehicle is detected in real time, and the image by the video camera is analyzed in real time or at regular intervals, thereby reducing unnecessary computational processing and enabling real-time sensitive processing. As a result of performing a performance test for 5 hours every day for one week with an intersection simulation using an actual signal processor, a detection rate of 99.9%, which was improved by 3% to 5% compared to the existing method, was recorded. The advantage is that 99.9% of vehicles waiting to turn left are detected by the LiDAR sensor, and even if an intentional omission of detection occurs, an immediate response is possible through self-correction using the video, so the excessive waiting time of vehicles waiting to turn left is controlled by all lanes in the intersection. was able to guide the flow of traffic smoothly. In addition, when applied to an intersection in the outskirts of which left-turning vehicles are rare, service reliability and efficiency can be improved by reducing unnecessary signal costs.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.42 no.4
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• pp.492-501
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• 1995

Background: Transforming growth factor- alpha(TGF-$\alpha$) may play important roles in carcinogenesis, tumor growth, and angiogenesis. Transforming growth factor-beta(TGF-$\beta$) are known to be involved in cell-cycle control and regeneration. TGF-$\alpha$ positively acts on growth control of many epithelial cells in contrast to the negative role of TGF-$\beta$. Method: To evaluate the possible role of TGF-$\alpha$ and TGF-$\beta$ in human primary lung cancers, the expression of TGF-$\alpha$ and TGF-$\beta$ were immmunohistochemically investigated in tissue sections from forty seven cases with lung cancers and ten cases with non-cancerous lung tissues. Recombinant cloned monoclonal antibody of TGF-$\alpha$ and neutralizing antibody of TGF-$\beta$ were employed as primary antibodies after dewaxing the formalin-fixed, paraffinized tissue sections. Results: TGF-$\alpha$ was expressed in the cytoplasms of tumor cells in thirty five cases of forty seven(74.5%) primary lung cancers, whereas the control expressed in two of ten brochial epithelial cells. The expression of TGF-$\alpha$ was disclosed in four cases of eleven(36.4 %) small cell carcinomas and thirty one cases of thirty six(86.1%) non-small cell carcinomas of the lung. Expressions of TGF-$\beta$ was discernible in bronchial epithelium in eight of ten non-cancerous lung tissues. The expression of TGF-$\beta$ was noted in the cytoplasms of tumor cells in eight cases of forty seven(17.0%) primary lung cancers. The expression of TGF-$\beta$ disclosed in two cases of eleven(18.2%) small cell carcinomas and six cases of thirty six(16.7%) non- small cell carcinomas of the lung. Conclusion: These findings suggest that up-regulation of TGF-$\alpha$ and down-regulation of TGF-$\beta$ are involved during development and growth of primary lung cancers.

• Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.13-23
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• 1983

In recent days, family planning is not only a problem limitted to our country but an important problem for the while world to solve. Up to present, various methods of sterilization have been developed for population control. When a patient with a previous tubal sterilization by operative method develops any symptoms and signs of pregnancy, we strongly consider it ectopic pregnancy and intrauterine pregnancy. As the cause of sterilization failure, we think that the tubal loop sloughs away and tubal ends either unite and recanalization results or heal and failure of union results in fistula. This present study considered of the 34 cases of ectopic pregnancies and 2 cases of intrauterine pregnancies after tubal sterilization by laparoscopy and Pomeroy's method, at the Dept. of Gynecol. in Kyung Hee University Hospital, during 6 years from Jan. 1977 to Dec. 1982. Authors take result in this study retrospectively. 1. Mean age was 33.7 years for the laparoscopic tubal sterilization group, 31.5 years for the Pomeroy tubal sterilization group. 2. The number of mean gravida and parity at the sterilization was 4.9, 2.8 for the laparoscopic tubal sterilization group, 4.2, 2.2 for the Pomeroy tubal sterilization group, :respectively. 3. The number of mean artificial abortion at the sterilization was all 2.2 for the laparoscopic and Pomeroy tubal sterilization groups. 4. Mean intervals from the tubal surgery to the incidental pregnancy was 3.2 years for the laparoscopic tubal sterilization group, and 3.8 years for the Pomeroy tubal sterilization group. 5. 63.3% of the laparoscopic tubal sterilization group had problem of inadequate tubal ligation, in comparison to having no inadequate problem in the Pomeroy tubal sterilization group. 6. The previous tubal sterilized scar was found to be 6 cases (17.6%) of inner portion, 15 cases (44.4%) of midportion, 13 cases (38.2%) of outer portion at the time of operation. The tubal site of ectopic pregnancy was found to be 23 cases (67.6%) of ampullary portion,S cases ( 4.7%) of isthmic and fimbrial portion, respectively. 7. The causes of table sterilization failure were, in order of frequency, technical error (19 cases), fistula formation (6 cases) and recanalization (5 cases) for the laparoscopic tubal sterilization group and fistula formation (2 cases), technical error (l case), recanalization (l case) fo the Pomeroy tubal sterilization group. 8. As the new applicated contraceptive method in incidental pregnant patient, Authors used 2 gravigard insertion for the two intrauterine pregnancy and 34 Pomeroys' tubal ligation, 2 total abdominal hysterectomy (due to associated pelvic inflammatory disease) for the 36 tubal pregnancy.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.64-71
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• 2006

To investigate the effects of the nucleotide sequences in Shine-Dalgarno (SD) and the spacer region (SD-ATG) on bovine growth hormone (bGH) gene expression, the expression vectors under the control of the T7 promoter (pT7-7 vector) were constructed using bGH derivatives (bGH1 & bGH14) which have different 5'-coding regions and were induced in E. coli BL21 (DE3). Oligonucleotides containing random SD sequences and a spacer region were chemically synthesized and the distance between the SD region and the initiation codon were fixed to nine bases in length. The oligonucleotides were annealed and fused to the bGH1 and bGH14 cDNA, respectively. When the bGH gene was induced with IPTG in E. coli BL21(DE3), some clones containing only bGH14 cDNA produced considerable levels of bGH in the range of $6.9\%\;to\;8.5\%$ of total cell proteins by SDS-PAGE and Western blot. Otherwise, the bGH was not detected in any clones with bGH1 cDNA. Accordingly, the nucleotide sequences of SD and the spacer region affect on bGH expression indicates that the sequences sufficiently destabilize the mRNA secondary structure of the bGH14 gene. When the free energy was calculated from the transcription initiation site to the +51 nucleotide of bGH cDNA using a program of nucleic acid folding and hybridization prediction, the constructs with values below -26.3 kcal/mole (toward minus direction) were not expressed. The constructs with the original sequence of bGH cDNA also did not show any expression, regardless of the free energy values. Thus, the disruption of the mRNA secondary structure may be a major factor regulating bGH expression in the translation initiation process. Accordingly, the first stem-loop among two secondary structures present in the 5'-end region of the bGH gene should be disrupted for the effective expression of bGH.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.737-743
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• 1995

Background: Pneumonia is a frequent complication in patients undergoing mechanical ventilation, Quantitative culture of protected specimen brush(PSB) have shown satisfactory diagnostic accuracy for the diagnosis of ventilator-associated pneumonia. However PSB method is invasive, expensive, and require a bronchoscopic procedure. But endotracheal aspiration(EA) is simple and less expensive. The purpose of our study was to investigate the diagnosic value of EA quantitative cultures. Method: We studied 15 cases of ventilator-associated pneumonia(for >72h of mechanical ventilation) patients. Patients were divided into two diagnostic categories. Group I was the patients who were suspicious of clinical pneumonia, Group II was the patients for control. The obtained samples by EA and PSB were homogenized for quantitative culture with a calibrated loop method in all patients. Result: Using $10^3cfu/ml$, $10^5cfu/ml$ as threshold in quantitative culture of PSB, EA respectively, we found that EA quantitative cultures represented a relatively sentive(70%) and relatively specific (60%) method to diagnose the ventilator-associated pneumonia. Conclusion: Although EA quantitative cultures are less specific than PSB for diagnosing ventilator-associated pneumonia. EA quantitative cultures correlated with PSB quantitative culture in patients with clinical pneumonia and may be used to treat these patients when bronchoscopic procedures are not available.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.965-981
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• 2024

Objective: Milk composition varies considerably and depends on paratypical, genetic, and epigenetic factors. MiRNAs belong to the class of small non-coding RNAs; they are one of the key tools of epigenetic control because of their ability to regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. We compared the relative expression levels of miR-106b, miR-191, and miR-30d in milk to demonstrate the relationship between the content of these miRNAs with protein and fat components of milk in Holstein and Ayrshire cattle. Methods: Milk fat, protein, and casein contents were determined in the obtained samples, as well as the content of the main fatty acids (g/100 g milk), including: saturated acids, such as myristic (C14:0), palmitic (C16:0), and stearic (C18:0) acids; monounsaturated acids, including oleic (C18:1) acid; as well as long-, medium- and short-chain, polyunsaturated, and trans fatty acids. Real-time stem-loop one-tube reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction with TaqMan probes was used to measure the miRNA expression levels. Results: The miRNA expression levels in milk samples were found to be decreased in the first two months in Holstein breed, and in the first four months in Ayrshire breed. Correlation analysis did not reveal any dependence between changes in the expression level of miRNA and milk fat content, but showed a multidirectional relationship with individual milk fatty acids. Positive associations between the expression levels of miR-106b and miR-30d and protein and casein content were found in the Ayrshire breed. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that miR-106b and miR-30d expression levels can cause changes in fatty acid and protein composition of milk in Ayrshire cows, whereas miR-106b expression level determines the fatty acid composition in Holsteins. Conclusion: The data obtained in this study showed that miR-106b, miR-191, and miR-30d expression levels in milk samples have peculiarities associated with breed affiliation and the lactation period.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.221-230
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• 2022

The fire blight caused by Erwinia amylovora (Ea) was first reported in 2015 in Korea, and the disease has rapidly spread to 22 regions until 2021. In Korea, all host plants in the apple and pear orchards where fire blight occurred should be eliminated and buried by the Plant Protection Act. To prevent the spread of the disease, all burial sites were prohibited from planting the new host plants for the next three years. To confirm the eradication efficiency of Ea and the reoccurrence of fire blight, the surveillance facilities were established on three burial sites from 2019 to 2020 in Anseong-si, Gyeonggi-do, and Chungju-si, Chungcheongbuk-do. As host plants, five apple trees of fire blight-susceptible cultivar 'Fuji', were planted in each facility. All facilities were enclosed with fences and nets and equipped with two CCTVs, motion sensors, and several other sensors for recording weather conditions to monitor the environment of the sentinel plants in real-time. The sentinel plants were checked for the reoccurrence of fire blight routinely. Suspicious plant parts were collected and analyzed for Ea detection by loop-mediated isothermal amplification polymerase chain reaction and conventional polymerase chain reaction. Until November 2022, Ea has not been detected in all sentinel plants. These results might support that the burial control of infected plants in soil works efficiently to remove Ea and support the possibility to shorten the prohibition period of host plant establishment in the burial sites.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.69-78
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• 2009

Korea has achieved significant economic growth with building the Gyeongbu Expressway. As the number of new road construction projects has decreased, it becomes more important to maintain optimal status of the current road networks. One of the best ways to accomplish it is weight enforcement as active control measure of traffic load. This study is to develop High-speed Weigh-in-motion System in order to enhance efficiency of weight enforcement, and to analyze patterns of overloaded trucks on highways through the system. Furthermore, it is to review possibilities of developing overweight control system with application of the HS-WIM system. The HS-WIM system developed by this study consists of two sets of an axle load sensor, a loop sensor and a wandering sensor on each lane. A wandering sensor detects whether a travelling vehicle is off the lane or not with the function of checking the location of tire imprint. The sensor of the WIM system has better function of classifying types of vehicles than other existing systems by detecting wheel distance and tire type such as single or dual tire. As a result, its measurement errors regarding 12 types of vehicle classification are very low, which is an advantage of the sensor. The verification tests of the system under all conditions showed that the mean measurement errors of axle weight and gross axle weight were within 15 percent and 7 percent respectively. According to the WIM rate standard of the COST-323, the WIM system of this study is ranked at B(10). It means the system is appropriate for the purpose of design, maintenance and valuation of road infrastructure. The WIM system in testing a 5-axle cargo truck, the most frequently overloaded vehicle among 12 types of vehicles, is ranked at A(5) which means the system is available to control overloaded vehicles. In this case, the measurement errors of axle load and gross axle load were within 8 percent and 5 percent respectively. Weight analysis of all types of vehicles on highways showed that the most frequently overloaded vehicles were type 5, 6, 7 and 12 among 12 vehicle types. As a result, it is necessary to use more effective overweight enforcement system for vehicles which are seriously overloaded due to their lift axles. Traffic volume data depending upon vehicle types is basic information for road design and construction, maintenance, analysis of traffic flow, road policies as well as research.